Schuller Coleman leaving; Crystal Cathedral congregation faces split

Crystal Cathedral Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman tells her congregation she has "learned from my own mountain - you can win just by standing." She announced that Sunday was her last service at the iconic Garden Grove building but she will continue to be a pastor of a new church, Hope Center of Christ.MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

GARDEN GROVE – Sheila Schuller Coleman delivered her last sermon at the Crystal Cathedral on Sunday, announcing she is breaking away and taking the congregation to a new location under the name Hope Center of Christ.

But moments after her surprise announcement, a Crystal Cathedral pastor told congregants that regular Sunday services will continue in the striking building, leaving congregants to make a choice on where they will be next Sunday morning.

"We are very sad, very sorry about this," said Pastor Emeritus Juan Carlos Ortiz, who began the Hispanic ministry for the Crystal Cathedral. "I hope they both have success – those who stay and those who leave."

Her departure came one day after her parents, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller and his wife, Arvella, resigned from the Crystal Cathedral board of directors – leaving behind a church Schuller founded in 1955, preaching Sundays atop the snack shop of an Orange drive-in theater.

In a news release Sunday afternoon, the elder Schullers said they support their daughter but they "will not be moving with her to the new location" or worshipping at the Crystal Cathedral.

"How we will express ourselves in worship remains up in the air," Robert H. and Arvella Schuller stated in the release.

Instead, the elder Schullers said they plan to focus on "securing and stewarding our legacy that has been our message for almost 60 years."

The Schullers and the Cathedral's board of directors have been fighting over intellectual property and copyright infringement claims and other payments.

No Schuller family members are left with the Crystal Cathedral, some ousted recently by the board majority in the wake of a bankruptcy, sale of the grounds to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange and bitter controversy over money.

In both services, the senior pastor read from a book she's writing, with the working title "Fall From Grace, Fall Into Grace." She mentioned her father frequently in both readings, talking about his influence on her life and work.

In the 9:30 a.m. service, attended by some 300 people, Schuller Coleman focused on passages she'd written that deal with the October 2010 bankruptcy and her reaction to what was happening at the Cathedral. While at first she was crushed by the bankruptcy filing, Schuller Coleman said she later came to see it as "an opportunity" and not a failure. She acknowledged her family had "made our fair share of mistakes." And she blamed the recession as "the final blow" that led to the bankruptcy and the sale of the cathedral campus.

Schuller Coleman also said in the first service that the church would be renamed Hope Center of Christ.

But it wasn't until the second service, at 11 a.m., that Schuller Coleman told the congregation that this would be her last sermon at Crystal Cathedral and the congregation would be moving to a new location.

Moments before her announcement, she proclaimed: "I am not resigning. I will not quit." The audience applauded. "I will not quit," she repeated louder, and many of the 400 in attendance – a sparse crowd in a sanctuary that holds thousands – stood up and applauded louder.

Crystal Cathedral Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman tells her congregation she has "learned from my own mountain - you can win just by standing." She announced that Sunday was her last service at the iconic Garden Grove building but she will continue to be a pastor of a new church, Hope Center of Christ. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Crystal Cathedral Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman embraces well-wishers after Sunday services where she announced she will no longer lead worship in the iconic Garden Grove building. She also announced a new name for the church - Hope Center of Christ. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sparse attendance is one of the challenges facing the Crystal Cathedral church where it was announced Sunday that the congregation will no longer be holding services at its longtime location in Garden Grove. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Pastor Harold Shaw, a member of Crystal Cathedral since 1982, and church members surround Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman in prayer during her last Sunday service at the church. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sparse attendance is one of the challenges facing the Crystal Cathedral church where it was announced Sunday that the congregation will no longer be holding services at the current location in Garden Grove. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Crystal Cathedral Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman smiles at her congregation at the end of Sunday services where she announced the church's last service at the Garden Grove building. She will continue to be a pastor of a new church, Hope Center of Christ. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove where Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman announced Sunday that the church is changing its location and name. They have not yet determined the new location but they will be called Hope Center of Christ. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Crystal Cathedral congregants band together Sunday where Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman announced the church will be moving to a new location and will no longer hold services at the Garden Grove location. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Crystal Cathedral Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman embraces well-wishers after Sunday services where she announced she will no longer be worshipping in the iconic building. She also announced a new name for the church: Hope Center of Christ. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The King's Men from Biola University performs Sunday at Crystal Cathedral during the last Sunday service at the Garden Grove church. The new location has not yet been announced. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Pastor Harold Shaw, a member of Crystal Cathedral since 1982, and Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman, share a laugh during the church's final Sunday service at the longtime Garden Grove location. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Crystal Cathedral Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller hugs well-wishers after Sunday services where she announced the church will no longer hold services at the Garden Grove location. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A worshipper arrives at Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove Sunday where Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman said the church will no longer be holding future services here. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.